Umpire shortage lowering standards, increasing injuries, ex-umpires say
Jared Collins has officiated nearly a thousand NT footy games, but says an ongoing dispute between AFLNT and its umpires has forced him to hang up the whistle.
Jared Collins moved to Darwin for a six-month stint as an Northern Territory Football League (NTFL) umpire — nearly 30 years later, he still hasn't left.
In that time, he's become one of the territory's most experienced umpires, tallying close to a thousand games.
But recently, the former president of the NTFL Umpires Association (NTFLUA), has decided to hang up the whistle and neon greens.
"There's a change in the way the association is allowed to run," he says.
"We used to have several events each month, social interactions, the opportunity to socialise at our own bar … and that stuff's been taken away."
Jared Collins says this year's NTFLUA Christmas party had to be held in a rugby union club, across the road from AFLNT's Marrara stadium. (ABC News: Rio Davis)
Umpire training has been reduced from two nights a week to one, their honour boards have been taken down, and they haven't been allowed to use NTFL facilities for social events — all, Mr Collins says, without consultation.
"It's taken away the social element, and for me having done it for so long, that was the driver for me to still do it," he says.
"A lot of my peer group have moved on out of frustration."
Head of AFLNT Sam Gibson says the NTFLUA chose "not to hold social gatherings at TIO Stadium so they could sell alcohol in lieu of a change in the commercial operator at TIO Stadium".
When Mr Collins was the president of the NTFLUA, the umpires and administration reached a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on pay rates, heat protocols and other working conditions.
The agreement lapsed in 2022, which Mr Collins says has led to tougher conditions and a lower proportion of local umpires.
"When you've got more umpires, you're not doing as many games," he says.
Honour boards containing 60 years of history in the umpires' facilities in Marrara stadium have been taken down this year - AFLNT says it's for renovations, while a digital replacement is reviewed. (Supplied: Gerry Wood)
"At the moment I feel like there's fewer umpires, they're expected to do more matches, they're obviously getting fatigued quicker, they get to end-of-season and the standard drops away because they're exhausted."
Mr Collins started out as an interstate umpire and voiced concern that those new to the Top End were not getting enough support to acclimatise and give back to the culture.